Jilt
by hazelAC405
Summary: To reject or cast aside (a lover or sweetheart), especially abruptly or unfeelingly. Hoagie and Abby dealing with the day after decommissioning.


**AAAnd I'm writing something yet again without finishing another story. I have a real bad habit about that. I've had this jumbling in my mind for a while but I didn't know how to go about and getting down in words coherently. All I knew was that I had an idea about the after effects of decommissioning for Abby and Hoagie. This is what came out of my brain. I've never really written for KND but I thought I would take a crack at it. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own nuthin'! **

February 2011

She watched him step out of the chamber; body slightly hunched forward, goggles still on his head holding his auburn locks back. "Where am I?" his voice broke her heart; shattered it to pieces she quietly picked up and went towards his hands.

"Don't worry, I'll take you home," She whispered. He nodded his head, auburn locks gently tickling his cheeks.

She sighed from the pit of her stomach and led him to the bus out the back. Never once did she let his fingers go; the intertwined digits. It was all she had left until they pulled up to his house. The contrast of skin color made her smile softly to herself.

He stood up as the bus came to a halt. His fingers lingered, but he slowly pulled away. "Thanks for the ride."

She nodded, choking back the lump in her throat. Without a second glance, he left and she watched him leave.

The ride back to Sector V was quiet. All the memories of past decommissioning began to race through her mind's eye. Nigel's last day was 3 months ago; Wally's was 4 months ago and now Hoagie. Fanny had been gone almost as long as Wally and Rachel had been gone for almost a year. All she had left was Kuki, and the Asian's birthday was merely a week after her own. The trademark red hat covered her down cast eyes as tears silently slid down her chocolate skin.

OxOxOx

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mother had greeted him at the door, Tommy was doing his usual weird little brother things and his dad sat glued to his model airplane set. When Ms. Gilligan questions Hoagie's whereabouts for the past couple of hours, Hoagie lied. Now, laying in the quiet solace of his room, as hard as he tried, he could not recall the events of the day. Pure black. As if he hit his head and lost his memories. Sitting up, a picture caught his eye on his bed side table.

It was the girl from earlier; the one that brought him home. She looked happy in the picture. Her braid had been pulled over her shoulder, the red hat off of her head. She sat on a swing set and he sat next to her. He was smiling at her, a real toothy smile. His goggles were pulling some stray auburn hairs away from his face.

Hoagie couldn't help but smile at the picture. Next to that one was a frame with four other kids including him. He easily recognized Nigel and Wally. The darker skinned girl was in the picture as well as another Asian girl standing close to Wally. They looked younger, around nine years old. The picture was taken inside what looked like a giant tree house.

His heart skipped a beat as he stared at the dark skinned girl in the picture with the two of them alone. He turned away from the frames and stared at the wall his bed was against. Every so often he would turn and adjust his pillows. After a couple of hours of not sleeping, he huffed in annoyance. Sitting up from his bed, he got up and grabbed a flashlight from his desk and shoved his hand into his backpack. Pulling a book out, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to bed. Flipping the book open, he thought, _"Well if I can't sleep, might as well do something productive."_

OxOxOxOx

She knew that the decommissioning had filled his brain with fake memories. She noticed the next day that he still spoke to Nigel and Wally as if nothing had changed._ "Maybe it's certain people he can't remember too,"_ She thought.

"People like me," she breathed out, closing her locker shut. A small Asian girl stood where the metal door had just been.

"Good morning, Abby!" Kuki smiled.

Abby smiled smugly at her friend. Kuki's expression became solemn as she followed Abby's line of vision. The young Asian could pick out the three boys without a flinch. Sighing dejectedly, Kuki frowned.

"You have to let it go for now. I know it feels like a jilt but we have to be patient. Trust me, I know it hurts," Kuki threw a comforting arm around her friend's shoulders. Leading both of them towards Abby's first morning class, Kuki turned at the door. Students would brush past them to walk into the half empty class.

"Thanks Kuki, I'll see you after class," Abby nodded at the Asian. Kuki smiled softly and walked away.

As Abby watched the Asian walk away, she paid no mind to the kids shuffling around her. She sighed softly and turned to walk inside when she hit another student, _hard_. She felt arms encircle her, pulling her close to the body she slammed in to. He caught her before she fell to the ground, against the flow of traffic from the merciless students. Looking up at her savior, her heart clenched. Blue eyes looked back at her with a mischievous smile.

"Always glad to help a damsel in distress," His voice dripped with honey.

Abby froze. Being this close to him after so many memories only she could recall broke her heart. She had only begun to pick up the pieces and decided to wait until after her birthday to speak to him again. Yet here they were, standing before the door of their shared class moments after she had spoken to her best friend about letting him go. She felt her face harden as he let her go. "Abby's sorry for not paying attention," Abby whispered, not meeting his eyes. With a side step, Abby walked past the stunned teenager.

He quickly ran behind her, catching up to her seat. Standing next to her, he flashed her one of his dazzling smiles. "You know, not a lot of people refer to themselves in third person," He commented.

Her lip twitched. She could recall all the instances where he would tease her for referring to herself in third person growing up. "Abby is fully aware of that, boy." She hoped he would get the message to leave her alone when she sat down and began to pull her belonging out of her backpack. She still refused to meet his eyes. She internally laughed when he sat in his usual seat without meaning to.

"Well, I like it," he turned and sat behind her. Her cheeks began to heat up at the sound of his words. Sucking on the inside of her cheeks, a thought occurred to her. She knew that turning thirteen was inevitable. She had three weeks left but if Hoagie was going to continue to seek her out, even after he had the fake memories in that brain of his; Abby came to the realization that she would be okay with that.

Turning in her seat, she faced the young Aviator, meeting his piercing blue eyes. "What's your name?"

He smiled at her, "Hoagie Gilligan…but it's not as beautiful as Abby."

She blushed softly, "Abigail Lincoln…but nobody calls me that."

Hoagie wiggled his eyebrows at her, "Even more melodically."

Abby giggled and turned around to face the front. If this was the new, teen aged Hoagie, Abby would be okay with that. He was still the same charming boy she had grown up with, but with new memories they could create together.

**Yes? No? Meh? I would enjoy your perspective on this one. In the beginning I had it all planned out to be a series but I thought, I could just leave it how it is and if I ever feel encouraged to continue, I can. But for now, it shall stay a one-shot. **


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